Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

nvbanker · May 2004

Don't blame you.

explorerx4 · May 2004

have an '02 explorer, too. i know the tranny is supposed to have lifetime fluid in it, but but i just had the 30k service done on mine. the dealer said i should have the flush done, and i'm glad i did. i did question them about it.
some of those 'great money saving ideas' don't work out in the real world.
sorry about your bad experience.

tjf2000 · May 2004

explorerx4... if I could ask what did the dealer charge you for fluid change. Did they have to drop the tranny to perform the service. My 03 MM has 54k on it and I have been asking my dealer about a trans fluid change for a while. My dealer has been great over the many years I have been going to them, not sure why they do not want to perform this service. Thanks...

1stmountie · May 2004

Have my new 04 Mountaineer Convenience 4.0L for only 7 weeks and have 930 miles on it. Yesterday, Service Engine Soon light pops on and has stayed on. Truck has been great. Nothing noticeable in sound or drive. Runs as smooth as the day I picked it up. Checked gas gap, as suggested in manual. No problem there. Had 1/4 tank of gas when light popped on, and was enroute to station to fill up. No change.

I already made the call to the service dept and scheduled appt. Can't see me till next week. Anybody have any ideas? Possibly some sort of bad sensor? Don't want to put truck on the disabled list for 5 days before I go to dealership. Not that I would hold anyone their suggestions, but OK to continue to drive? Would asssume that while I'm there, wouldn't hurt to ask for a first oil change, right?

swschrad · May 2004

hard to tell if the codes have not been scanned, it could be anything. even a gas cap that is loose, or possibly your filling the car while the engine was on. yes, that will set an environmental code.

if there is no ordinary sign of disaster impending (engine runs rough, makes funny noises, transmission won't shift, the thing stops every 35 seconds, no brakes, no steering, etc.) and you have full charges of coolant and oil in the engine, it is probably driveable. I would be hesitant myself to get off the back roads and on the interstate if I didn't know what was going on. keep your cell phone charged in case you have to call the 1-800 ford service hotline.

it's probably a sensor, but as I say, you never know until you have the codes and the interpretation.

1stmountie · May 2004

Thank you for the reply. Much appreciated. Have to drive from Staten Island to Long Island and back tomorrow, about 120 miles round trip. Need to have some things fixed with my other car, so probably will drive it.

traveller · May 2004

Hi, I have a 2002 Explorer Limited with 28K KM (17K) miles. In the last month or so I have noticed that the 4x4 High is set a few times a week when I start it and I then have to turn it off. It's not good to be in 4x4 mode in the summer!. If someone else drives it and doesn't see the 4x4 light, it can damage things. Has anyone had this problem and what is the fix? Also, I have a slight rearend whine developing at 82-89 km/hr (51-55m/hr). How loud does the whine have to be before Ford will fix it?

nvbanker · May 2004

No, the trans doesn't have to be dropped to service it. It just has no filler tube which greatly inhibits re-filling. Some dealers don't want to deal with it, some have purchased flush equipment to do it. And the reason it is filled for life is 2fold. One, the engineers think it will run about 100,000 miles anywäy. 2- There is no room for a filler tube to be routed up to the top on the V8 anyway.

vance · May 2004

We have owned our new 2004 Explorer for about a month and the transmission is noticeably jerky (almost like you are using a manual shift). We have taken it to the dealer and they have said this is normal. We had only test driven one other before we bought this one and didn't notice this. Is it normal and, if not, what else should we do?

busman01 · May 2004

Definately not normal. Had a `99 with similar issues. Turned out some seals had blown requiring a tranny rebuild. We upgraded to an `03 and have enjoyed over 30k miles of unfeddered travel.

Have the service advisor ride with you so you can point this out when it occurs. Then have him (or her) do a comparison ride in an equivealant vehicle. Point out the differences.

If necessary, address it with the Service Manager. If you feel you are not getting enough traction, move on to the General Manager.

Hopefully you will not have to go that far, but you get the picture. Keep all your records. Good luck.

vance · May 2004

Thank you for your quick reply. I did have the service manager drive it while I was in the car but did not have him compare it with another. I will do that and see what happens.

akangl · May 2004

My 2004 Explorer did that for a while, but seems to have worked itself out after 11k miles.

I did mention it to my service advisor and he said if it kept doing it to bring it by and they would look at it. He said they had a few other 2004 Explorers that did that and had to have the processor (computer?) for the transmission replaced. Don't know if this helps, food for thought I guess.

Mine has been great except for fuel economy. Ford dealer put some new program in the computer and the truck is up to 17 mpg hwy from 14, so I guess it helped some.

nvbanker · May 2004

sometimes a reflash will also help. But these transmissions among the smoothest around, so don't accept the normal diagnosis. Definitely not normal to jerk.

1stmountie · May 2004

Re: "Mine has been great except for fuel economy. Ford dealer put some new program in the computer and the truck is up to 17 mpg hwy from 14, so I guess it helped some."

Really? If you have any other detail about this please let me know. Would be much appreciated. I have a 2004 Mountaineer, 4.0L 6 cylinder. I do not tow, haul anything, except a tiny wife and 2 small kids. The truck is still brand new, only 1,100 miles on it. I was waiting to put about 5,000 miles on it before I figure out the mileage again. Did it for the heck of it the first week I brought it home. Got 14 mpg highway. I don't plan on doing anything like that right now, but that info would be good to have.

Now I am wondering if the extremely poor mileage is tied into my "Service Engine Soon" light that came on last week and has remained on. Guess I'll find out when I bring it in on Wednesday.

tjf2000 · May 2004

I had to bring my 2003 MM V-8 (54k miles)in today to have if checked. The light came on this weekend and I wanted to have it looked at before I headed to PA today, turned out to be that two of the short plug wires between the coils and plugs were bad. (The wires were arcing which set off the light) I had them change all of them while they were in there. Not happy as this was not covered by extended warranty. The only explanation I was given was this happens sometimes. I had a the same 4.6 V-8 in another car and it went well over 100k miles and never had a bad plug wire. Seems like a short lifespan to me... 15 months old, or 54k miles. I will check my extended warranty in more detail to see if I can get this covered. Just arrived in PA tonight from MA and got 20.6 calculated mpg at 70 mph, not bad...

akangl · May 2004

All my service advisor told me was that some 2004's needed an updated program. Mine was stalling intermittantly and was very hard to start at times, also had the wrench light come on but later went off. Whatever they did to it solved all that too, its been great since then.

My truck has always gotten very poor mileage. Its sllloooowwwwwllllyyyy getting better. I think last tank was 17 mpg mixed. Will get a better idea of its hwy mileage after Thursday, taking a 700 mile hwy trip. I will post the results when I get back.

My truck currently has 11,500 miles on it.

96mk8lsc · May 2004

I have an 04 2WD V8 with 3000 miles. The highway mileage is around 21 but the city mileage is hovering around 12.5. It also seems that the more I "baby" the car around town the worse the mileage gets. I expected the mileage to get better as the engine and drivetrain got a few more miles on them but the city mileage seems to be getting worse as time goes on. I also have occasional hard starts on some mornings. My latest concern is a "whistle" noise coming from the transmission when at light throttle in certain gears. I believe it occurs in 1st & 3rd gears (possibly 2nd & 4th)and goes away as the transmision shifts. The noise is not consistent or repeatable. Anybody else have the whistle sound?

swschrad · May 2004

if the $$$ light is on, you may well be in limp mode, the hardcoded "if all else fails" engine curve in the computer that allows you to drive instead of walk. in some cars, the speed is about the same

limp mode comes on when there are major inputs missing for the computer or something has broken real good. so yes, the dealer check on this issue should lead to a nice little warranty repair and you should get back to more-or-less normal.

more-or-less because "normal" is an average, EPA mileage is not done in the real world but as two wheel dyno testing in a warehouse, and as the poet once wrote on a notecard when he woke up in the middle of the night so he wouldn't lose the thought.....

Y M M V

1stmountie · May 2004

As of last night, the Service Engine Soon light suddenly shut off after having been on for 230 miles. I am still keeping my appointment for tomorrow. Only hassle I am having is with the dealer in providing me with a loaner car to get to work. Don't seem too accomodating. If it was a scheduled service, which is scheduled at my convenience, I would understand. One of the reasons I bought a new vehicle is to not have to worry about taking off from work for car repairs. Amazing what a different world it is 15 steps past the showroom floor.

warriorphan · May 2004

Has anyone's late model Explorer had the differential "factory repair"? My Explorer is scheduled for this service next week. Is it more than bearing replacement-how long did take, less than a day or should I plan on being without it for awhile? Thanks in advance.

nvbanker · May 2004

Oh, man doesn't that figure? I swear these cars are so smart, they know when you're going to take them in, and straighten up just before so you can't find the problem!!

nvbanker · May 2004

The 4.6L V8 doesn't have plug wires, it has coil on plug, which eliminates the traditional plug wire, and all the problems that go with them.

The 4.0L V6 still has plug wires.

akangl · May 2004

****I swear these cars are so smart, they know when you're going to take them in, and straighten up just before so you can't find the problem****

That's EXACTLY what I was telling my service advisor the other day.......scary thing is......he agreed, lol.

My Explorer is behaving, we had it off road Sunday. Ran into a bunch of water, probably 8-10 inches deep, hubby refused to drive through it, turned around instead. What a chicken, I was ready to go for it.

Not sure of the fuel economy on it, seems to be able to go 210 miles on 1/2 tank, up from 150 miles before its service visit. Will know more after Thursday's road trip.

96mk8lsc · May 2004

I believe that the current "fix" entails replacing the entire assembly, as a unit, to solve the howl. My dealer replaced the unit in one day. I dropped the vehicle off at 8:00am and they had it back by 3:30pm the same day. They claim that it was a "new world's record". My buddy's Aviator took 3 days for the same fix but I do not know if the they already had the replacement differential "in-stock".

1stmountie · May 2004

Yup, I agree. Although in this case, the light did come back on last night and continued right up through my appointment this morning. In at the dealer at 7:30, out by 8:45. This is right off the receipt "Reprogram PCM Upgrade". This is probably what AKangl had done. Apparently all or most new MM's need to have this module reprogrammed or updated.

96mk8lsc · May 2004

Even if the service light goes off, the computer keeps the fault code(s) in memory. The tech has the ability to clear the memory but the computer will hold all fault codes until they are cleared by a human.

akangl · May 2004

Yup, that's what they did for mine, it helped a lot too. My truck is much happier. Will report gas mileage on Friday after our 700 mile trip.

1stmountie · May 2004

Just wanted to be clear. You said you were having transmission jerk problems. Did that go away as a result of the reprogramming too, or did it just resolve your gas mileage issue? Reason I ask is that, and I don't know if this is because I'm trying to listen to things that were never there, but I noticed that when I left the service dept for my short trip to work, shifting felt smoother. BTW, good luck on your 700 mile trip.

nvbanker · May 2004

My new Mountie hasn't had anything that needed work yet, no service light. Trannie is silky smooth.

akangl · May 2004

I thought the same thing about mine, definatly felt much smoother shifting. I would say it helped. My truck is up to 17.1 mpg mixed driving....80% hwy/20% city, a little idling and about 18 miles of offroad driving.

tjf2000 · May 2004

"The 4.6L V8 doesn't have plug wires it has coil on plug" This is true However there is a boot that covers the connection and that is what went bad on mine and caused arcing which in turn activated that service engine soon light... sorry for using the wrong description.

nvbanker · May 2004

Sorry. My bad. I kind of wondered about that. Not surprised to hear that's the case.

akangl · May 2004

The Explorer did wonderful, am over 12k now. Really great truck. Averaged 19.6 mpg hwy, but that was with some road construction and idling. Not to shabby.

Another question.....

We are looking at campers. Found a tow behind that the dealer is saying my Explorer could pull. The GVWR of the trailer is only 5200 lbs, its dry weight is 3600 lbs. Its big, but very light. I would have to switch from a class II hitch to a class IV which is no biggie. Anyone towed anything like that with a newer V6 Explorer??

nvbanker · May 2004

YOu will get some bobbing up and down in the rear towing this. You may need to stablize the rear end with some air shocks. See how it does.

stever · May 2004

Towing tips for SUVs may help too.

Steve, Host

explorerx4 · May 2004

watch out for cross winds, if you tow a big box like that. i've been told you should have a dually for a big box or heavy trailer.

akangl · May 2004

It seems like the trailers we looked at are designed with small SUVs in mind. Of course I am still concerned. Found that services on base has a 16 foot trailer that weighs the exact same as the one we are looking at, so we are going to rent it and see how the Explorer does.

I've towed horse trailers with SUVs and done ok, but yes crosswinds and sway are a big concern. We have a dually truck, but since its a reg cab we don't all fit in it and its kind of worthless for camping trips.

My husband is of the mind that we are buying a camper of some assorts and if we have to get a bigger SUV oh well, that's what he'll do. He cracks me up, I wanted to trade my Explorer down to a Focus and he would not hear of it. Now he is getting closer to getting a toy that he really wants (and me too) and he's all for trading the Explorer on a bigger SUV if that's what it takes. Thankfully we are several months away from a purchase so plenty of time to figure this all out.

wifemm · May 2004

Just received notification on extended warranty of the EGR sensor for 02 Mountaineer. Has Anyone else experienced problems with the sensor and what are the symptoms?

swschrad · May 2004

my 00 exploder has the towing package and 5500 with a class-IV weight-distributing hitch is the top rating. the 02 and up should have a little larger rating, so that should work. the V8 would be a little more matched to that load, but I once saw a guy in 81 with a little GMC Safari van pulling a 26 footer, so don't discount what the exploder can do.

but I agree you are going to have to go over the suspension and make sure you are ready for the task. also, that puts you squarely into the severe-service maintenance schedule, don't miss an appointment.

when you get the class-IV installed, also get the swaybar hitch and install the swaybar connector on the trailer tongue. that makes a major, major difference in wind, passing trucks (or being passed by them,) and the like. highly recommended. do it. do NOT fail. God has ordered ye all install swaybars, hallelujia.

get the hint?

akangl · May 2004

Yup, sway bars would be a definate. We are going to give it a shot with a 16 ft camper and see what the truck does. If it seems ok we will move forward with our plans for next summer. We've towed 3500 lbs with it and it acted like nothing was there.

nvbanker · May 2004

Saw an Explorer last night that had a Class III hitch standard, and a Class IV hitch installed underneath it. Looked really wierd.....

explorerx4 · May 2004

trying to maximize their utility?

akangl · May 2004

My husband brought up trading my V6 Explorer in on a V8 Explorer in order to safely tow that camper that we want to buy. We have decided not to buy the camper until next spring and concentrate this summer on figuring out the tow vehicle situation.

I know my Explorer can probably tow the trailer we want, but its putting it right at the max. I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I don't want to drive anything bigger than an Explorer, but I'm thinking that a V8 would work out a lot better for towing. We both agree we should have thought the towing thing out more before we bought my Explorer. We are towing a lot more than we planned.

Thankfully I put enough down on my Explorer so I'm not buried up to my eyeballs in it.

explorerx4 · May 2004

you know i love my '02 v8 explorer w/towing pkg. it's our family road trip vehicle, and it's been a lot of places. i even bought a focus to keep the everyday miles off it. i don't want to trade it or give it up(it would be a big financial hit).
the main concern would be towing a big heavy trailer in cross wind conditions. last year, about 800 miles from home(yup, a road trip), i saw where a crosswind took a trailer/mid-suv totally off the road. just keep it in mind.
i'm probably playing right into the hands of your hubby! be safe. swami says 4x4 turbo diesel crew cab dually

akangl · May 2004

I'm well aware of the sway problem, nothing a anti-sway system can't fix there. We've used one before on a little SUV with a BIG horse trailer and did great.

My biggest concern is killing my little V6, I LOVE my Explorer, can't think of a better vehicle to drive. However, it is lethargic when it comes to towing.

As for a 4x4 diesel crew cab dually, um, that would require him giving up his V10 reg cab dually and I can tell you right now.......he would give ME up first.

jlflemmons · May 2004

Hi, Jolie

I posted some comments about towing over in the inconsiderate buyers board, so i will probably tick off the moderator. I will copy them over to here, the more appropriate site.

Jim
(I'm the Texan with the sister in Wasilla)

jlflemmons · May 2004

Jolie,

If you can give me the specs on your Explorer, specifically engine, 2wd or 4wd, transmission (auto or standard) and the rear axle ratio, I can get you an exact tow rating. Based on a v6 with a 5spd auto (and that was a surprise to me, a 5spd auto)the tow rating with the 3.73 is 5251lbs with one passenger. Now, if you have been in the RV business, you know that the weight label on a trailer is not necessarily even close, and anybody buying a trailer should insist on having it weighed before signing anything.

My '97 Terry 26L showed to weigh ~5900lbs. It's certified dry weight is 6550lbs. Don't believe the guy wanting your money knows exactly how much you can tow, unless he can show it to you in the Ford towing guide.

When talking to folks about what they can tow, I generally tell them to try to stay 20% below the rated tow spec.

As a side note to readers, even if you do not plan on towing, when picking a new vehicle check to see what the tow package adds. Down here in Texas some vehicles will get an added tranny cooler and external oil cooler. Both good things in the heat. Not to mention if you end up down the road needing to tow something, you are ready for it.

Jim

explorerx4 · May 2004

the '5spd' means a different 2nd gear depending on upshift or downshift. in either direction it is 4.

jlflemmons · May 2004

Don't know about Fords, and excuse me for throwing in a GMC comment, but on the Yukon you can order the third row seats and the factory throws heavier springs in the back. I tow a Terry 26L with a certified weight of 6550lbs with an '04 Yukon with the 5.3L, 3.73, auto, and third row seating. My hitch weight is about 675lbs and with the equalizer bars set correctly the rear springs sink less than an inch. I use a sway control and pull this monster with no problem. The trailer box is 26'5", the overall is 30'.

Jim

explorerx4 · May 2004

an explorer and a yukon are 2 different 'critters'. hopefully, people wanting to tow a 'trailer' will recognize the difference.

Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

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